Advice needed:

[ste_noni]

I have rewritten this thing 3 times so far. So frustrating.

I need to go to this 7-week course for my new job - July 9-Aug 24. (Of course, I have to go to practically the only other place on the planet that is hotter and humid-er than PR in the middle of the summer!)I’m not willing to leave Ellie with Joe for 7 weeks and he’s happy I feel that way. He could handle it just fine, but that’s too long for me to be away from her.

Originally, the plan was that my MIL would come stay with me in the hotel during that time and watch Ellie during the day. However, Joe thinks his mom won’t handle that very well and to be honest, I can’t really see it either.

I’m hoping the daycare on the base will have room for Ellie. She’s #3 on the list and the director sounded like it was a possibility. I’m a bit anxious about sending Ellie somewhere that I haven’t been able to check out, but all the other federal daycares I’ve seen, including her current one, have been top-notch. However, hope doesn’t guarantee her a place.

One of the options, though, is for Ellie to go spend some time with my parents. I will be spending the 5 days before the training starts with my family in Indianapolis. She seems very comfortable with my parents and I am very happy about how they all get along. But the thing is that I’ve never spent a night away from Ellie. Having her away for a week for the first time ever seems pretty extreme. Am I being too protective?

This doesn’t answer my over all question because the truth is that there is no way I’m letting Ellie go for more than a week tops and I still have to find a place for her for the other 6 weeks.

Ugghhh – this work/parent thing is hard!

Comments

[casperflea.livejournal.com]

Is your mother staying in the hotel with you and Ellie not an option? She seems pretty closely bonded to your parents, and your mom in particular.

Also if the daycare is full maybe they can hook you up with a temporary nanny in the hotel, or a local mom willing to take in another for a few weeks. Seems like the military is so good at that kind of networking.

I've spent one night away from Casper and that was in the hospital with Dillo, so I can't give any experiential advice on the overnight thing. I'd be comfortable with Casper staying with my mom, my sister, her other grandparents, or my SIL for a few days, but I'm not sure how she'd take a week without either me or mr flea, and she's much older obviously. Lots of phone calls and adjustment I imagine.

What a huge hassle. Stoopid job.

[ste-noni.livejournal.com]

My mom would be awesome and is really the only good choice. The thing about my mom is that yes, staying in a hotel room with a 2 year old for 7 weeks would be difficult, but my mom would love it and make it work.

My parents have a trip to Banff planned sometime in early August and then my mom has to start teaching again sometime in mid-august. I'm thinking about asking her, though, to come stay with me until her trip. That might be three weeks.

One possible option for the rest of the time - I have a friend who is 18 and was planning on coming to PR to help out this summer. I really didn't need her but I think she wanted to see PR. Anyway, she might be willing to come stay with Ellie for 2 weeks or so which would just leave a week and a half for Joe's mom. But Glynco, GA isn't San Juan, PR, you know?

The dumb thing is that everyone here agrees that between my law school course in immigration law and my time here, I already know everything I will learn there.

[mearagrrl.livejournal.com]

Well, maybe your mom could do the first bit, your friend could do a bit, and then she could take Ellie to Puerto Rico and stay there with Ellie and Joe for a bit? Then she'd get some puerto rico in, but Joe would be able to help her, and Ellie would be in familiar circumstances....

[ste-noni.livejournal.com]

Hey, that is a really good point. I'll have to see when school starts for her.

[gingerk.livejournal.com]

You could have gotten hotter and humider. You could be away from the coast. Anyway, your 18-year-old friend might be happy just to have the beach. The beaches on the sea islands are really nice, and there's a pretty lively bar scene if you're 18. There are also sea turtles' nesting. I hope we get some rain before you're there. Brunswick's only about 50 miles away from the Ware County-Okefenokee fire.

I wish Glynco was closer than five hours from Atlanta. Let me know if you need somewhere to stay in transit.

[ste-noni.livejournal.com]

That's a good point about not being near the coast, weather wise. I just got so spoiled living out west.

It's good to know all that info about the area. At least now I have some selling points. Oh, and good news abotu the fire. I mean not good, but good to know.